Testosterone Lawsuit Filings Continue, as New Study Questions Accuracy of Blood Tests Used to Diagnose Hypogonadism in Men

NEW YORK, March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As testosterone lawsuit (http://www.testosteronelawsuitcenter.com/) filings continue to mount against the manufacturers of AndroGel and similar medications, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that a new study is raising questions about the accuracy of blood tests used to diagnose hypogonadism (low testosterone) in men. The research, which was published online in the journal Urology this past February, looked at data on more than 10,000 men and found that in some cases, blood tests conducted on the same patient on the same day showed testosterone levels varying by as much as 30% between labs. Among other things, the authors of the study recommended that the decision to prescribe low testosterone therapy should not be based on the results of a blood test alone, and should also take other factors into consideration including the symptoms of an individual patient.

"It is interesting to note that a number of testosterone treatment lawsuits claim that men are often prescribed these drugs even though they are not suffering from hypogonadism," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is offering free and confidential case reviews to individuals who may have suffered heart attacks, strokes, deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism due to their use of testosterone treatment therapies.

Testosterone Treatment Lawsuits

Testosterone therapies are approved to treat hypogonadism in men who suffer from the condition due to an underlying illness or injury. Drugs in this class include:

• Axiron
• AndroDerm
• AndroGel
• Bio-T Gel
• Delatestryl
• Depo-Testosterone
• Foresta
• Striant
• Testopel
• Testim

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced on January 31, 2014 that it had launched a safety review of prescription testosterone treatments after two studies indicated the medications might be associated with an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death in certain men.

Since the FDA announced its safety review, a number of testosterone lawsuits have been filed on behalf of men who allegedly suffered serious cardiovascular events due to their use of low testosterone therapy. These include five cases now pending in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois that allege AndroGel caused patients to  suffer heart attacks, strokes and heart failure due to their use of the medication. (Case Nos: 1:14-cv-00776, 1:14-cv-00780, 1:14-cv-00777, 1:14-cv-00772, and 1:14-cv-01667)

A sixth testosterone therapy lawsuit has also been filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California on behalf of an alleged testosterone heart attack victim who had been treated with Testim. (Case: 1:14-cv-00917)

According to court documents, all of these lawsuits similarly allege that the manufacturers of testosterone therapies engaged in aggressive marketing that encouraged men to seek treatment for low sex drive, fatigue and other symptoms merely associated with aging. The complaints attribute the rapid growth in the use of testosterone therapy to this so-called "disease mongering," and further claim that these tactics caused many men to be prescribed testosterone therapy in the absence of a true medical need.

Men who used prescription testosterone treatments may be entitled to compensation if they suffered strokes, heart attacks, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism or another serious cardiovascular event while using these medications. To learn more about filing a testosterone lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. Free, no-obligation legal consultations can be obtained by calling (888) 340-4807.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since the list was first published in 2003.

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Contact Information:  
Felecia L. Stern, Esq. 
Bernstein Liebhard LLP 
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http://www.testosteronelawsuitcenter.com/ 
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